HandicappedPets.Net

Dolly

Re: Dolly

Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2019 8:00 am

by Christine

How's she doing this morning?

Re: Dolly

Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2019 11:46 am

by CarolC

Awww, thanks for asking. Clean bed this morning and I gave her a regular size breakfast. I'm still not letting her out till I can mow the yard super short and be sure there is nothing in the grass I'm not seeing. I'm just afraid someone might have thrown something in the yard.

The 2 nights before this happened, she asked to go out late at night, like 9:30 or 10:00, and she never does that. The first time I let her. The next night I told her no and she whined at the door. There was something out there she really wanted and I have no idea what it was. Then she got this diarrhea.

Last night I put a puppy pad in her playpen but it was unneeded. Bless her heart, it was pretty sad to see her in a messy playpen those two mornings. She didn't get anything on herself, but I just hope it wasn't like that for her for too many hours. I got up early this morning and checked her to be sure it hadn't happened again, then went back to bed. She's a very clean dog, they could have named her Daisy...

Re: Dolly

Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2019 12:17 pm

by Christine

Reminds me of little routines we have we our pets. We know their quirks, but continually question ourselves. Penny is probably the ideal dog as far as going out. She goes out first thing in the morning, depending on who is home, she either stays in with one or both of us, asking to go in and out occasionally during the day and one final out in the evening. If she ever asks to go out in the middle of the night, I will say "wait just a little longer, its not time yet". If she lays back down, we all go back to sleep; if she come again, I know something's up and will let her back out. Each time, she goes to the door, we have this ritual...I hold her head in hands, look right into her eyes and say "No barking and come right back". give her nose kisses and she is out and usually right back in.

It can drive you crazy wondering what they may have gotten into. Hope Dolly is all better as of today!

Re: Dolly

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:39 pm

by critters

Glad she's feeling better. Diarrhea in a handicapper ain't pretty!

Re: Dolly

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 10:31 am

by CarolC

In the last few months, Dolly had 2 episodes of a sore neck, which the vet diagnosed as muscular, and I posted about it separately. It was treated with Robaxin, Tramadol, Rimadyl, and diazepam. I could not figure out what was causing it, although she is 10 and we do sometimes get aches and pains as we get older.

At first I thought it might be because the house was too cold and she was tensing up. The vet told me to keep it at 72-73 degrees because I had another pet with asthma. That may be part of the problem. But I really think the main thing was the ramp. (No way to know for sure, of course.)

Normally Dolly goes bouncing up and down the ramp as she pleases. She's been doing this the whole time I've had her, over 9 years. The ramp is just a straight slope from the door to the porch, which is only one step down, maybe 8"? The porch is a glassed-in sun porch off the kitchen and when I leave the door open it's like adding another room onto the house. There is no landing on the ramp, no level spot. So while I was trying to keep the house cold to prevent asthma, I was not leaving the door to the porch sitting open. That meant every time Dolly started up the ramp, she would have to stop and wait till I got there to open the door. Then with all her momentum gone, she had to start again from a full stop, lean way forward, lift her rear, and bounce the rest of the way into the house. Surely that has to be hard. It is easier speeding up the ramp from a running start.

So anyway, it sounds logical to me, so I am letting her bounce down the ramp, but I am not letting her go up it at all. Possibly I could let her go up if the door was standing open, but I sure don't want to go through another one of these episodes with a sore neck, it takes her a week to get over it and she is just miserable. So I guess now we're waiting to see if she gets any more neck pain while she is not allowed to go up the ramp. I thought of just removing the ramp, but she is not the only dog who uses it, so picking her up to bring her in is the best plan.

Re: Dolly

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 10:45 am

by Christine

Poor baby..lucky for her that you are such a detective. Now, what is bending down to pick her up going to do to your neck and back? Don't you have a stroller that you sometimes use? Would that help both of you??

Re: Dolly

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 11:37 am

by critters

It'll be interesting to see if that fixes her!

Re: Dolly

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 10:52 pm

by CarolC

Ohhh, Christine, what happened to Bailey's pic?

Dolly is only 8 lbs, so picking her up will normally be no problem. I'll just have to be careful for her sake, not lifting too fast, and pay attention to how I'm doing it.

I have also been thinking about her bed. Right now she is staying in her playpen between trips outside. Normally her bed is on the floor in the corner by the kitchen table. It's the standard kind that is high on the sides and back and lower in the front. When this happened, she was having trouble getting into it from the side, so I rotated it so her place of entry would be the front. But now I'm thinking of getting her a different kind with no "walls" or edge to have to climb over. The playpen floor is completely flat. Her bed needs to be low and flat like that, but still keep her warm if the floor is cold. I'm starting to get ideas of what might work for her.

EDIT TO ADD: I just ordered her a bed. It's Goretex or something like that, with very low sides, so it will be easy for her to get into, the smooth fabric will let her diaper slide over without much friction. I hope it's flat enough. If it doesn't work out, it wasn't too expensive. I'm kind of excited to see if this will work. Then she can get back in her usual corner again!

Re: Dolly

Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 1:19 am

by Christine

Bailey's picture was there the last time I was here. I will see if I can reload it from my pc (I am on my Kindle right now)